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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. hand — help
  4. ball — a dance
  5. file — a document
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wake — a trail
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. file — a tool
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. file — a line of people
  12. cap — a lid
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. ball — a great time
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. perch — the fish
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. hand — in cards
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com